1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is training devices used with putters to train golfers to putt properly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Putting is a very important part of the game of golf. On a standard par 72 course, half of the allotted strokes toward par are allocated for putting. There are at least two important aspects in learning to be a good putter, these include proper alignment of the putter blade with respect to the target, and proper alignment of the golfer""s eyes with respect to the ball. The importance of proper alignment of the putter blade with respect to the target is self evident since the object of putting is to accurately control the trajectory of the ball. The importance of eye position is that without ones eyes directly over the ball, the golfer cannot properly determine and learn the correct relationship between the putter face and the target. The importance of proper eye position in putting was pointed out by Jack Nicholas in his book, Golf My Way. 
The importance of correct eye position has been pointed out in several U. S. Patents, which attempt to address the problem by various alignment devices involving lines and reflective surfaces. Examples of these devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,472, which is a device that mounts on a putter head with an eye aligning mirror and a target aligning mirror, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,732 which involves stringing a target line to the hole and sighting the ball through the line. Other systems include aligning indicia which are a permanent part of the club.
Another device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,327 uses a flat plate which sits on the ground with a depression to hold a golf ball and a head position indicator behind the ball which is only visible when the user""s head is in the right position and which changes color when the user moves his head.
Various laser devices have been disclosed. Some of these, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,868, involve a laser generator which is part of the club itself. In that patent, a laser device is contained in the grip portion of the club where beams are conveyed by optical fibers to the putter and emitted from the face towards a target of side-by-side parallel reflective strips. Other devices such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,609 discloses various means of removably mounting various laser pointing devices in golf club heads.
The laser devices are an important contribution to putter training. The laser devices can only be used, however, in practice and a not during regulation play. It is thus important that a training device be removable, so that players can use it to train on their regulation putters. It is likewise important that the learning take place while the golfer""s eyes are vertically aligned over the ball.
Another problem in learning to putt is that greens are not typically flat. Many are sloped such that one often needs to aim the putter blade at a point which is to the left or right of the hole. It is important that a training system be able to provide feedback, regarding the relationship between where the putt is directed and where the ball travels and comes to rest. It is important that this feedback be learned from well aligned putts.
There is a need for a putter training device that can be removably mountable on regulation putters which concurrently provides the user with a means to align the putter blade at a specific target location while the golf ball is in position and with a means to assure that the golfer""s eyes are properly positioned vertically over the ball.
There is a need for a system and method for a golfer to learn the relationship between properly aligned putter face, the target and the path of the ball.
There is a need for a system and method for a learning golfer to systematically vary the direction in which the ball is targeted while maintaining proper eye position and putter face alignment.
An object of my invention is to provide a putter training device which can be removably attached to a putter and will be useful in training a golfer to align the putter blade with respect to a target while a golf ball is in place, and concurrently to align the eyes directly over the ball so as to observe the correct relationship between the putter blade, the ball, and the target.
A further object of my invention is to provide a visible laser beam originating just above the golf ball which displays a straight path along a plane normal to the putter surface and on target.
A still further object of my invention is to provide a calibrated target strip on which the laser beam is visible to the golfer.
A still further object of my invention is to provide a method for using the device and the calibrated target strip to learn the relationship between the direction at which the ball is targeted and a real or simulated golf hole.
A still further object of my invention is to provide a method for using the device and the target to evaluate the path of the putting stroke by observing the movement of the laser beam on the target, with respect to calibration lines.
My invention is an apparatus for practicing the art of golf putting. In one embodiment of the invention the apparatus includes an alignment device which can be removably mounted on a putter. The device has an enclosure that contains a laser emitting unit which produces a laser beam which passes out of the enclosure through a first aperture. The enclosure is mounted on the putter directly over the putter blade""s xe2x80x9csweet spotxe2x80x9d so that the laser beam follows a path which is in a plane normal to the striking surface of the putter blade. In a preferred embodiment, the enclosure also has a lens which converts the laser beam into a line beam. The enclosure also contains a light source and a second aperture which are located within the enclosure so that the light source and the second aperture fall on a vertical line when the enclosure is mounted on the golf club with the laser beam directed in a plane normal to the striking surface of the putter. The opening in the aperture is smaller than the diameter of the light source, which is preferably a light emitting diode. The enclosure is mounted on the golf club just above the blade and behind the striking surface, with the laser beam directed on a plane normal to the striking face and the second aperture directed upward. The golfer""s eyes are aligned properly when the intensity of the image viewed through the second aperture is maximized. The combination of the laser beam and the light source provide a means for concurrently aligning the putter blade with a target while properly viewing the putter blade, the ball, and the target with the eyes vertically aligned with the putter blade striking surface.
The apparatus also includes a calibrated linear target strip with vertical calibration lines. The calibrated strip can be used on a golf course green or indoors or on another surface. When used on a green, the calibration strip is oriented to the left or right of the hole depending on the slope, with the origin of the target centered over the hole. The laser line beam is visible to the golfer on the target. When practicing, a golfer can align the beam with different offsets from the hole and iterate at different offsets until the desired performance is obtained. The golfer can also observe whether the putter blade is moving properly along the target line by observing the movement of the laser line on the target. On a flat surface, the putter blade is properly soled when the laser line is vertical (parallel to the calibration lines). The putting stroke is properly aligned along the target line when the laser line indicates no horizontal movement along the target.